Alcohol Treatment
The term for the rehabilitation of alcohol abuse is known as alcohol treatment.
Treatment is the therapy and modalities used in the process of rehabilitation of alcoholism, alcohol dependency or alcohol abuse. Treatment is what is happening to someone while they go through the process of alcoholr ehabilitation.
Alcoholism Treatment is a processing requiring multiple steps:
- Medically monitoring the symptoms of withdrawal from alcohol
- Complete and thorough assessment and evaluation of the person's drinking
history and psychological make-up
- Based upon the outcome of the assessment and evaluation, determining the
right level for initiating rehabilitation
- Attending and fully participating in the alcohol treatment program
- Continuing the treatment process to its full completion
- Attending some ongoing aftercare program, such as AA, rational recovery or SMART recovery
The Key Principles of Successful Alcohol Treatment
Effective alcohol treatment addresses multiple issues
To be effective, alcohol treatment must address the individual's drug use and any associated medical, psychological, social, vocational, and legal problems.
An individual's alcohol treatment should be continually assessed
A patient may require varying combinations of services and treatment components during the course of alcohol treatment and recovery. In addition to counseling or psychotherapy, a patient at times may require medication, other medical services, family therapy, parenting instruction, vocational rehabilitation, and social and legal services. It is critical that the treatment approach be appropriate to the individual's age, gender, ethnicity, and culture.
Remain in alcohol treatment for a sufficient period of time
The appropriate duration for an individual depends on his or her problems and needs. Research indicates that for most patients, the threshold of significant improvement is reached at about 3 months in alcohol treatment. After this threshold is reached, additional treatment can produce further progress toward recovery. Because people often leave alcohol treatment prematurely, programs should include strategies to engage and keep patients in treatment.
Individual counseling is critical to effective alcohol treatment
In therapy, patients address issues of motivation, build skills to resist drug use, replace drinking activities with constructive and rewarding non drinking activities, and improve problem-solving abilities. Behavioral therapy also facilitates interpersonal relationships and the individual's ability to function in the family and community.
Medications are an important element of treatment for many patients
There are a variety of effective medications for some patients with a co-occurring psychological problem and alcohol dependence. For patients with mental disorders, both behavioral alcohol treatments and medications can be critically important.
Coexisting disorders in alcohol treatment should treat both in an integrated way
Alcoholic and mental disorders often occur in the same individual, patients presenting for either condition should be assessed and treated for the co-occurrence of the other type of disorder.
